The Economic Impact of the Climate

CLAPTON

I believe this sort of thing happened thousands of year ago in the middle east and doubtless other places where the documentation is missing.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

I think it's nothing like as bad in the US right now at a household level. Mrs Generali's Aunt was having to decant the rinse water from her washing machine to wash the next lot of clothes in. Washing cars and filling pools was banned. It was pretty bad and she lives in a big city.

When I last visited my uncle, he suggested that it was un-Australian to shower for more than 3-4 minutes. I'm guessing this is why the Australians invented leave-in conditioner.

chewmylegoff

vivatifosi wrote: »

When I last visited my uncle, he suggested that it was un-Australian to shower for more than 3-4 minutes. I'm guessing this is why the Australians invented leave-in conditioner.

Australian showers, at least in Queensland, tend to have egg timers in them IME. I left the tap running once whilst brushing my teeth. Apparently this is a big social faux pas. I think this has all eased a bit now because instead of not raining for 10 years it has rained (or hailed) every day for about 5 years instead.

Certainly made me appreciate dreary damp autumn days here rather more...

chewmylegoff

CLAPTON wrote: »

I believe this sort of thing happened thousands of year ago in the middle east and doubtless other places where the documentation is missing.

A lot of the archaeological examples seem to involve rivers silting up and changing direction or one off floods destroying water management systems. At least that is what I have picked up anecdotally from watching bbc4 programmes.

CLAPTON

chewmylegoff wrote: »

A lot of the archaeological examples seem to involve rivers silting up and changing direction or one off floods destroying water management systems. At least that is what I have picked up anecdotally from watching bbc4 programmes.

Earlier, the Sahara was a wonderland of vegetation, animals and the odd human. They (the humans) had a smashing time doing the odd painting, etching and I believe sex and occasionally had to do a bit of hunting and gathering.
The climate changed and the Sahara became the desert we know today, driving the humans into the river basin; the rest is history.
Prior to 'earlier' the earth was a huge desert caused by the ice age.
Luckily, we have been blessed by man made CO2 production which will prevent the next ice age and save the human race.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

When I last visited my uncle, he suggested that it was un-Australian to shower for more than 3-4 minutes. I'm guessing this is why the Australians invented leave-in conditioner.

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Australian showers, at least in Queensland, tend to have egg timers in them IME. I left the tap running once whilst brushing my teeth. Apparently this is a big social faux pas. I think this has all eased a bit now because instead of not raining for 10 years it has rained (or hailed) every day for about 5 years instead.

Certainly made me appreciate dreary damp autumn days here rather more...

I went to Brisbane during the drought and it started to rain. The weekend I was there was the start of the drought breaking and the flooding starting.

Part of the trouble is that the soil here is hydrophobic for the most part so water just runs off. Sydney gets tons of rain. The excuse we are given is that it falls in the wrong place. Like having the wrong kind of snow I guess!

Marktheshark

How climate change experts would plan life.
Won £10 on the lottery, that means I will win £10 every week.
Statisticians plan for unexpected variations of chance.
One Dry summer does not = every summer will be dry.
One wet summer does not mean all summers will be wet.
Weather is a statistical variant, in these variants odds that prolonged no rain spells and extended rain spells will arrive are a fact of how probability works.

I would suggest they employ some statisticians to help them understand droughts and floods and a few less Chicken Licken soothsayer climate experts.
It might help them plan for the statically likely scenario of a dry summer or a wet summer.

There is even a proverb, its called putting something away for a rainy day.
In England we call them holding reservoirs.
Hence why we rarely run out of water, despite one of the driest Summers on record.
Tends to work better than banning things like light bulbs.

Generali

You seem to be confusing weather and climate Marktheshark. Easily done.

CLAPTON

Generali wrote: »

You seem to be confusing weather and climate Marktheshark. Easily done.

the difference is simple to understand


weather is totally unpredictable
climate is a matter of faith and so is certain

Generali

CLAPTON wrote: »

the difference is simple to understand


weather is totally unpredictable
climate is a matter of faith and so is certain

Not really.

Weather's what you get (it's raining) climate's what you expect (Darwin gets a lot of rain most Decembers).